Puzzling Numbers and Uncountable Numbers

My son, from a very early age, was fascinated by numbers and very able at mathematics (totally unlike his mother, whose mathematical abilities are very decidedly countable.) His mental maths is excellent and he can deal with square numbers and cubed numbers quite swiftly; one of his favourite games is Triolet, which involves combining three numbers to make 15 and which it’s quite pointless for me to play as it always ends in ritual humiliation for me (I get my revenge at Boggle!) When I was starting to swim, he used to spur me on by telling me idly how many lengths made up half-a-mile or a mile or some other distance, which proved quite an incentive for me. His knowledge of numbers does not lead to punctuality, but it does lead to some interesting discussions in our family!

Numbers feature frequently in the book of Revelation, and it’s hard to know if they are meant literally or metaphorically. There were, for example, twelve tribes of Israel, so the number twelve and its associates (twenty-four, 144) feature on more than one occasion. In Revelation 7, we meet the infamous ‘144,000’ (12,000 from 12 tribes of Israel). Debates about who these are have raged throughout history and form the basis of heretical beliefs (Jehovah’s Witnesses contend that exactly 144,000 faithful Christians from Pentecost until the present day will be resurrected to heaven as immortal spirit beings to spend eternity with God and Christ. They believe that these people are “anointed” by God to become part of the spiritual “Israel of God”, a view which is clearly incompatible with the rest of the Bible which affirms the numbers of believers spending eternity with God will be much greater than this!) Just to make life even more puzzling is the fact that the usual twelve tribes are not the same in this chapter (Dan is omitted, Levi included; usually, Joseph is replaced by his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, but only Manasseh is mentioned in Revelation 7) and that within a few verses, the number of worshipping believers is given as a ‘great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.’ (Rev 7:9)

If we take this passage literally, it would seem that God will save a specific number of Jews who will become evangelists for the gospel and will be ‘sealed’ or protected by God from all that the Antichrist would seek to do during this period of tribulation. Paul speaks of Israel once again turning to God (Romans 11) and God has always kept a remnant from the twelve tribes of Israel who trust in Him (see 1 Kings 19:18). But it is also clear that the numbers worshipping God in heaven are greater than anyone could count. Whether we fully understand the numbers involved is debatable, but one thing seems clear from this chapter: God knows those who are His and will protect and keep them from eternal harm.

Future Promises

My granddaughters are currently very excited as they look ahead to a birthday and Christmas. They have been promised certain things (balloons, cake, presents, parties) and they talk about these things eagerly and with the confident assurance that comes from knowing they are loved and that their parents and grandparents only make promises they are realistically capable of fulfilling. There is anticipation, expectation and great excitement as each day brings them another day closer to the fulfilment of these promises.

The book of Revelation is a reminder to God’s people that certain promises of God remain in the future, but they are even more assured than those made by fallible people to children at this time of year! In the midst of tribulation, trials, martyrdom and many things we struggle to understand in this book, we meet those who have come out of the great tribulation and who have been made clean through the blood of the Lamb. (Rev 7:14) We see them serving before the throne of God and have the solemn assurance that ‘never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst; the sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat.’ (Rev 7:15-16, see also Is 49:10) Once more, John’s  vision includes ‘the Lamb at the centre of the throne’, a Lamb who is also, paradoxically, a Shepherd (see Ps 23, John 10:14). There is the promise of living water (see also John 7:37-38) and the assurance that ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ (Rev 7:17, see also Is 25:8, Rev 21:4). All these promises may well be in the future (and we certainly don’t know when they will be fulfilled), but we can be held up and sustained by them.

Peter talks of God’s ‘very great and precious promises.’ (2 Pet 1:4) Paul reminds us that ‘no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.’ (2 Cor 1:20) We are sustained and carried through present difficulties and trials by the hope that is to come of eternal life and bliss. Paul says, ‘I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.’ (Rom 8:18) The writer to the Hebrews reminds us how people persevered through faith and will be rewarded ultimately; these promises keep our spirits up and our hopes alive, no matter how difficult present circumstances may be. I’m confident my grandchildren will enjoy a birthday and Christmas again this year, but I am even more confident that one day there will be a new heaven and a new earth and God’s people will dwell in peace with their God, with no more death, mourning, crying or pain to spoil the picture. My confidence is not based on optimism or my own abilities but on the faithfulness of God: ‘he who promised is faithful.’ (Heb 10:23)

The Hope Of Israel

God is sometimes described as ‘the hope of Israel’, ‘its Saviour in times of distress.’ (Jeremiah 14:8, see also Jeremiah 17:13). Hope can be hard to define, but Emily Dickinson said, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” Jeremiah, another prophet who lived in the difficult days immediately before exile and then during exile, reminded the people that God’s plans for them were still good, even when it didn’t feel like it: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jer 29:11)

Jesus was born in difficult times, when Israel was being ruled by the Romans and people felt oppressed and enslaved. He was that visible reminder that God’s plans for His people were still good. He is still that visible reminder to us that God has good plans for our lives. Trust is what keeps us hoping. We trust that God is who He says He is and that He will do all He has promised, because He is faithful.

Hope in the Valley of Dry Bones

One of the most inspiring stories of hope can be found in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a prophet who lived in exceedingly difficult times, when God’s people had been defeated by the invading Babylonians and carried off from their homeland to live as exiles in a foreign country. They were far from home and far from the security and peace they had known; they had seen the temple destroyed and so were living in fear and anxiety, just as many people do today.

To make matters worse, this state of affairs was because they had refused to listen to God or obey Him. Sometimes, the difficulties we face are our own fault; on other occasions, we face troubles that are not of our own making. Either way, we can feel dispirited and hopeless. Yet in the midst of all this trouble, Ezekiel has a vision in Ezekiel 37 of a Valley of Dry Bones coming to life again as he speaks God’s word into the situation. The bones come together to form skeletons; God’s Spirit comes into them and the bones become living people again.

“Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” (Ezekiel 37:12-14)

God spoke a message of hope through Ezekiel to His people, even though they were in exile. Christmas reminds us that God speaks hope into our situations and through Jesus can bring hope to each one of us, no matter where we are or what we are facing.

Repetition

Repetition is seen by most adults as an enemy; variety is the spice of life, we believe. We crave new experiences and rail against the everyday with its monotony and repetition. The French call it ‘metro, boulot, dodo’, the endless cycle of all work and no play, most of it involving repetition.

At the weekend, I listened to my son practise a new carol for our carol service. It has intricate piano solos in it, interesting chord formation, wonderful glissandos and great bluesy riffs. He listened to the song twice and started to play it.

He had to keep stopping, listening again, practising again and again. He had to remember what he heard and get his fingers to reproduce those notes and rhythms. An hour later, he was still there, repeating phrases, going over it again and again.

Is this kind of repetition boring? In many ways, yes. But it’s the only way to be able to play a tune. Practice (doing a thing repeatedly) is the only way we master any skill. Why else do we send our children to school, to swimming lessons, to dance lessons? We understand they have to do something over and over again in order to master it.

Last week I watched my granddaughter on ‘Purple Mash’, an interactive online educational programme which trains children in mathematical skills. She spent ages with moving fish, counting, adding and subtracting. The repetition of sums involving number bonds is what will improve her ability at mental maths. You have to do something often enough for it to become second nature. Practice really does make perfect!

Repetition in this sense is the pathway to perfection. In the same way, God wants us to consistently and repeatedly do what is right so that ultimately we become more like Him. Don’t despise the monotony of repetition; it’s actually good for us, training us to become more like God.

Theme & Variations

In classical music, ‘theme and variations’ is a common musical structure, where a composer introduces a melody (often quite a short, simple tune) and then varies it slightly in different ways, often embellishing the original tune to make it more interesting. A famous example of this is Mozart’s ‘Ah, vous dirai je, Maman’, when his simple tune (better known to us as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’) is embellished twelve times (you can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCKBl-TpRzc)
Psalm 136 reminds me of this musical structure. Its theme is simple, a refrain repeated 26 times (‘His love endures forever.‘) God’s love is the simple yet profound theme of the Bible. Twice in John’s first letter he tells us ‘God is love’. This is the bedrock of Christian belief.
The psalmist embellishes this theme with reasons to give thanks and examples of His love in action. From God’s amazing work of creation to His mighty deliverance from Egypt to His ongoing protectin and provision, the nature of God’s love is explored.
There is repetition in the psalm: repetition deepens impression (think of the refrains in songs which reinforce the basic message).We must never lose sight of God’s love. It is at the heart of our faith, at the very heart of life.